Washburn Has Submitted Plans for County “Veterans Court”
Ross County — A former police chief and Army veteran is asking to stay a judge after being appointed to the position at the start of this year. He also has a special “veterans court” submitted for approval.
Keith Washburn began presiding over Courtroom Number One in the Chillicothe Municipal Court in February, after being appointed by the governor to fill out the end of retiring Judge Toni Eddy’s (R) term.
Washburn was one of six candidates who spoke at a Republican meet-and-greet on September 4th, 2025. (Though he is a nonpartisan candidate, he is endorsed by the party and appears at events hosted by them.) Hear him in his own words below.
Washburn says he wanted to start a specialized docket for military veterans, which he submitted to the state on August 15th. He said the Ohio Supreme Court has been pushing for veterans treatment courts, which have been established in nearby Athens, Fairfield, and Franklin counties.
He said the U.S. Census shows that the Ross County population is 8% veterans, relatively high – though some local groups think that is still a low estimate. Washburn said many veterans have undiagnosed mental health issues from combat, and they are seeking other means to cope with that.
Though he says military service is required to be considered in court cases, he is seeking the additional consideration. He said he started the process for the separate docket in his court, which will have an advisory team and a mental health treatment team. There will be a couple more steps after the Ohio Supreme Court approves it, then Washburn says veterans who are criminally charged can get treatment, avoid the courtroom, and get back into society.
He says there is a big push in the state to help ailing veterans instead of incarcerate them. In addition, Washburn said that some veterans may not currently qualify for VA services, but he wants to help get their discharges upgraded to allow them services.
Washburn said he will put out a news release when the “veterans court” is approved by the state.
Washburn is a veteran, serving in the U.S. Army 1990-1993, and spent 25 years in the Chillicothe Police Department – with his last six years as Chief of Police. He has a campaign Facebook page and Instagram account.
Also hear from the Democratic candidates for the two Chillicothe Municipal Court judgeships, Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney and local attorney Angela Hirsch, in my recent story on a Ross County Democratic Party gathering.
Like the two Democratic judicial candidates, Washburn and Republican candidate Jason Miller are not competing with each other, but with their party opponents, running for the two separate judgeships in the Municipal Court – which deals with lower-level cases within the county, such as drug charges and traffic tickets.
